She was attending to the boy's injuries when an angry crowd began beating Mr Utash.

"It wasn't right," Ms Hughes told the broadcaster, adding 100 people were standing by but she was the only one who told the group to stop.

"I got over there and I told them 'Don't nobody hit him anymore,'" Ms Hughes said. "I had a gun in my pocket, I was ready to do some damage if I had to."

Detroit, a sprawling but increasingly empty city which recently filed for bankruptcy, has seen a 40% reduction of police staffing in the past 10 years. The city's police chief told residents early this year that arming themselves could help deter crime.

Mr Utash remains in hospital and has been in critical condition since the attack.